neither fish nor fowl
by vapanalley
Summary: Tomorrow is a pretty big swim meet against a highly competitive team that they just can't afford to lose to. Same old. Same old. /NOTE: Written before the anime premiered./


**neither fish nor fowl**

Shin's eyes are green behind his tinted goggles and Ryo blinks slowly as if trying to remember that exact shade of emerald that the team captain's eyes take on when he is burning within the flames of competitiveness.

Tomorrow is a pretty big swim meet against a highly competitive team that they just can't afford to lose to. Same old. Same old.

But the flickering, shimmering way that Shin's eyes light up when he talks about his goals for the water, for the team, for Akio and Hikaru and Ryo, that's where all the novelty and sheer _freshness_ of an experience lies.

Ryo crunches on his granola bar, takes a swig from Shin's water bottle and continues to watch the team captain natter on.

"You look hungry." Akio says, sidling up along the bench Ryo is occupying and swinging his goggles by their straps in lazy circles. "Hungry for some carnal sin? Some wordly pleasure's a la _senpai_, eh?"

"You're going to break them like that, you know. And just when you need them, they'll snap. And your pretty dives will all be for nothing. All those hours practicing will have gone to waste as your goggle straps just _snap_."

"Hey, now! That was uncalled for. My simple observation deserved no such rebuttals."

"Do you even know what rebuttal means?"

"Naomi from the Debate Team taught me what it means. Rebuttal: the act of rebutting!"

Ryo just narrows his dark eyes at Akio who, despite having fearlessly dyed his hair all the colors of the rainbow and is sporting magenta locks of hair like it's no big deal at all, shrinks beneath the icy glare and slinks away to seek sympathy either in Naomi's busty bosom or Hikaru's easy grin.

"Ryo? What do you think?"

"Place me as anchor in the 200 meter IM relay. I have the fastest freestyle."

The unbelievably bright grin Shin directs at Ryo makes him smile despite himself, just a little bit. As Shin reaches out to grab the water bottle Ryo is holding loosely, their fingers brush, and Ryo feels how _warm_ Shin is. It's not just his mannerisms. Ryo just pulls his towel more tightly around his shoulders and tries to ignore the claws of little lizards scratching at his insides. Other people have butterflies fluttering around their innard, and fluffy, breathless feelings overtake them when they are nervous. Ryo has lizard's with clever little claws stabbing and twisting in his gut when he gets flustered, and he finds that the little lizards have become more and more bold lately whenever Shin smiles at him or touches him (only to apply sunscreen, of course) or bumps into him in a (purely-platonic) manner. Shin brings out these feelings in Ryo, and yet, the devotion Ryo reserves, just for Shin, like a choice seat in class or a shady bench during lunch except in his heart of hearts, is unquestionable and definite.

Lizards. Heinous things.

A big splash draws Ryo's attention away from the way Shin's lips just barely brush the mouth of the water bottle Ryo had just drunk out of and he turns just quickly enough to see Hikaru's ankle sink into the water of the pool. His blonde hair comes up plastered to his skull and he sputters indignantly at Akio, who had apparently pushed him into the pool. All the other boys, even the ones who are deck changing, who saw the events leading up to this sad outcome, take a moment to double over laughing at Hikaru.

After moment of dewy-eyed reproach, Hikaru breaks out into helpless laughter too.

"We're so ready." Shin says, his eyes shining and Ryo nods mutely. Sometimes, it feels like he would be willing to follow Shin anywhere as long as his smile stayed so brilliant and his eyes flared with determination. The way that Shin is, warm-hearted and kind and every inch a noble-knight, a swimming-gentleman, that has to be the biggest clincher though. Wouldn't want to follow anyone else anywhere, really.

"We have a really great team this year," Shin says. "A lot of school pride, and I think we might have a shot at second place! Because no one really beats Naminori's high school anyway, they have some crazy athletes. Like that one guy, who seems to just about breathe under water!"

Ryo manages a smile, helpless in the wave of optimism only Shin exudes.

* * *

**A/N: **Swimming Anime isn't even a real anime! And yet. 30 seconds of boys in cool looking jammers spawns a whole fandom. Yes. Let me jump on this bandwagon.

Shin means "real, true" and that goes to Sweetie, the one who splashes water at the screen. Seemed appropriate.  
Ryo is "cool, refreshing". Tsundere-y, and the boy who does the best hair flip ever.  
Hikaru means "light", the one who strips right up front. Hello, Shota here, cute as hell.  
Akio is made up of characters that mean "bright" and "man or hero". The Pimp, and goggle spinning master.


End file.
